Bailando con la Muerte:
a Multicultural Community
Celebration of Art and Culture

This annual
event consists of a two-week exhibition of visual art, and an evening of
live performances of music, dance, poetry, and more. The popular ‘Night of Fridas’,
a Frida Kahlo look-alike contest with great prizes is an entertaining
addition to the program. Admission to both events is free.

Artists from
all disciplines and cultural backgrounds are encouraged to participate.
Traditional and unconventional artistic interpretations related to the
theme: ‘Life, Death, and Remembrance’
are encouraged. There is no entrance fee for the exhibition; everyone is
welcome to submit artwork.

Bailando
con la Muerte is an important multicultural event for Salinas and
Monterey County, designed for theparticipation of the entire community.
Because of the universal importance and significance of the rituals and
customs surrounding the mystery of death in all cultures, this event is
oriented to families of diverse backgrounds. Through this venue, we
encourage people from all cultures to work together in our community, to
better understand each other, to celebrate our cultural differences as
well as share common cultural concerns. It is our goal to promote
intercultural communication and understanding through the arts.

Bailando
con la Muerte – Dancing with Death signifies our struggle to comprehend
cultural differences. The metaphor of dancing best describes an
experience with a culture other than our own – one might learn the
steps, however, to grasp the essence, one must delve deeper, a self
examination of ones’ own cultural beliefs is a crucial step in this
process.

This
investigation into another culture allows us to relate to others from
backgrounds different from our own – an important tool that enables us
to participate in our community on a higher level. We are fortunate to
live in Monterey Bay, with people from many diverse cultures, and the
support of these citizens enriches our community.

Local
artists and young people from the area contribute time, artwork, poetry,
as well as music and dance performances to make this event happen.
Kudos to all who chose to participate in our wonderful celebration.

The Hartnell
College Gallery · the Hartnell
College Foundation · Local
Artists · Community Volunteers
· Generous Contributions from
Area Businesses · Arts Council for Monterey County ·Artistas
Unidos – Artists United